Around 30 wild elephants entered farmland in Kanchanrup Municipality–12 of Saptari overnight and damaged paddy crops planted across roughly three bighas, affecting dozens of farmers, according to News Today.

The damage was reported near the Paudaha Khola area of Rupnagar-Saunpur. Farmers identified in the report include Man Bahadur Shrestha, Keshav Shrestha, Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, Durga Shrestha, Padam Shrestha and Man Kumar Shrestha, along with several others.

After receiving information about the incident, a team led by Kanchanrup Municipality–12 ward member Jainuddin Miya visited the affected area and collected details of the crop losses. The team also met farmers and inspected the damaged fields.

Local farmers told News Today that wild elephants coming from the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve have damaged crops in the area repeatedly over the years. They said the recurring movement of elephants has also made farmers feel unsafe visiting their fields at night.

Affected farmers called on the relevant authorities to conduct a detailed assessment, provide appropriate relief and compensation, and establish longer-term measures to reduce human-wildlife conflict and crop damage.